Sisters
by Fluttercord4Lyfe
Summary: Twilight and her friends finally get to visit the Crystal Empire without any threats! But when Twilight makes a shocking discovery about her family, she is scared and angry. Will she be able to come to terms with this discovery- and her sister?
1. Chapter 1

It was a warm, summer day in Ponyville. As usual, nopony was rushing or feeling stressed. Well, that is, all except one.

Twilight had just gotten out of her bed and was sprinting towards her closet,"Gotta pack, gotta pack, gotta pack!" She and her friends were going to visit the Crystal Empire that day, and for the first time in forever, they had nowhere to go, nothing to do, no imminent danger. Just as Twilight began to pack, a knock came at her door. "Come in!" she yelled, still digging through her closet. The door opened. It was none other than Flash Sentry, the stallion Twilight had particular feelings towards him since they first met. He had been transferred to Twilight's castle guard(Thanks to Cadence) and had been very helpful. "Good morning your Highness," he bowed.

"Please, call me Twilight. What are you here for?"

"I heard you yelling and panicking. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just was having a hard time finding my crown,"

"It's right here your Highness- I mean Twilight-I mean-," Twilight chuckled. Many ponies got into the habit of calling her 'Your Highness' but Flash always never seemed to remember. Flash chuckled a bit too. "Thank you, Flash." Flash left the room with a tinge of red on his cheeks. Just then, Starlight stepped into the room.

"Were you just flirting with Flash?"

"Uh, no, n-"

"Well then what's this?" She played a magical recording of Twilight's interaction with Flash.

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "Okay, maybe I was kind of flirting but still, can you blame me?"

"It's fine, I get it. It's about time you got somepony."

Speaking of time, Twilight looked at a clock on the wall.

"Oh no! We have to get on the train in an hour and I'm not even done packing yet!" With that, she rushed back to her closet.

1 hour later

Twilight and Starlight met the others at the train station. "Where were you guys! You almost missed the train!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Let's just say somepony tried to flirt with a certain member of the guard," remarked Starlight. Twilight blushed.

"I was not!" she protested.

"Oh come on Twilight, you've had a crush on him since you first saw him!" Rainbow Dash almost screamed.

"Oh really then, what's going on with you and Soarin, hmm?"

"Umm, does it even matter?"

"Exactly,"

"Hey, we're already dating!"

"Sorry to interrupt your discussion, but yall' gonna get on the train or what?" Applejack beckoned for them.

"This discussion is not over!" called Rainbow Dash from inside the train.

Later on the train

Applejack and Fluttershy seemed to be the only calm ones. Pinkie was even jumpier than usual, Twilight was jumping in circles around the train, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were pacing nervously, and Starlight was, well, they weren't quite sure what. Her mood seemed to be a mix of excitement, anxiety, fear, and happiness.

"Gee Twilight, I haven't seen you this excited in years. What's going on?" asked Applejack.

Rainbow Dash gasped."You finally got over your habit of singing freak out arias?!" Everypony looked at Rainbow Dash."What? It's not a good habit!"

"No, I finally can go to the library and this time, the fate of the Crystal Empire isn't at stake! "

"What about you and Rarity? What are you so nervous about?" asked Applejack.

Rainbow Dash intruded, "I'm facing off against my rival, Lightning Dust,"

"And I, am having a, probably much more dignified meeting with my enemy, Suri Polomare,"

"But no matter what, SHE"S GOING DOWN!" they yelled at the exact same time. They looked at each other sideways.

"What about you Pinkie? What are you so excited about?"

"Joe's Donuts is opening a new shop and it's right next to Vinyl Scratch's Super Duper Party Pony Palace and its gonna have special new flavors and then I can be the first customer and get a coupon!" Indeed, they were all looking forward to great things(And donuts.). Little did they know, however, that one of them would make a discovery that would change her life.

* * *

"OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmyGosh! I can't believe we're here!" squealed Pinkie. They had just gotten off the train and Rainbow Dash was already about to leave.

"Sorry I have to leave so soon but I have to go practice to beat my rival,"

"Who's your rival again?" inquired Starlight.

"Lightning Dust. She's been jealous of me ever since I got into the Wonderbolts and she didn't. I haven't seen her for almost 3 years but she wrote a letter to me and we're gonna settle this once and for all!"

"And how do you suppose you are going to 'settle this'?" asked Rarity.

"With a race!" Rainbow Dash answered."Anyway, I gotta go. Later!" She dashed off into the sky leaving a visible trail of rainbows.

"I'm afraid I have to leave too." said Rarity, "I have to get a letter to Suri telling her that I'm here,"

"Who's Suri again?" asked Applejack.

"You know that time we went to Manehattan and we had to stay up almost all night creating outfits because somepony copied my line? That pony was Suri Polomare. I'm getting even with her. We're having a design contest. We pick out fabrics for each other to use and we have 24 hours to create an outfit with the fabrics we have."

"Yer kiddin', right? That's how you're gonna get even with her? In mah life, I settle things with real competitions. Paintball, wrestling, dares! Competitions of strength and wit! Not some lame fashion contest where ya wear some fancy getup!" remarked Applejack.

"Well, that may be how you do things but I for one do not care for uncouth competitions. Anywho, I must be going. Goodbye!"

"I'm gonna go to Joe's Donuts for the grand opening! I gotta get there early or else I won't be their first customer and if I'm not the first customer then I can't get a first customer doughnut and I promised to bring back Spike a first customer donut!" Pinkie took a long breath and sped off in a flash.

"Did anypony understand any of that?" asked Starlight.

"Nope. Not a clue,"Twilight shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I have to go too. I'm... meeting somepony." said Fluttershy. The rest of the group had almost forgotten about her since she was so quiet.

"Really? Who?" asked Twilight.

"I don't know. I just received a letter right before heading to the train station."

"Why do I get the weird feeling you're lying?" asked Starlight.

"I'm not,"

"Yes you are,"

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

Applejack spoke up "That's enough you two. Yall' can argue when Twilight and I leave but, fer now, get along will ya?"

Starlight huffed, "Fine. I know who sent you that letter and why you won't tell us,"

"Hey guys, as much as I'd love to figure out who sent the letter, I wanted to go to the library, so bye," said Twilight as she walked off.

"I'm gonna go get some food. I don't know about yall' but I'm really hungry after the long train ride." said Applejack. As soon as she left, Starlight began to talk to Fluttershy

"We both know who sent you that letter,"

"I really don't know,"

"Oh come on Fluttershy, who would send you a letter that appeared right before you left so randomly? I know only one pony who would do that, or rather one Draconequus,"

"Alright, I knew who sent it,"

"Then why did you hide it from us?" Fluttershy blushed, "Oh, I know what's going on here. You have a crush on Discord."

"I suppose so but, I can't let him know that,"

Starlight smiled a bit. She knew that Discord had a crush on Fluttershy but didn't say anything. She knew they should figure out their feelings on their own.

"Well then. You better go I guess. Bye,"

"Bye." Starlight smiled, she was happy that Fluttershy and Discord both loved each other. She decided to go to the home of a certain stallion she admired. He was none other than Sunburst. She was happy nopony had asked her about what she would do, for she knew that unlike Fluttershy and herself, all of their friends would pester her about it for the rest of the visit, and probably the rest of her life. She was so happy and calm. If only things could stay that way.


	2. Chapter 2

Twilight walked the streets of the Crystal Empire on her way to the library. By now, she knew her way around after the two previous disasters in the Empire. "Finally, I can actually go to the library just to read! I wonder how many different sections they have. Maybe they'll have books about the Empire written from over 100 years ago! That's what I'll read first! History books! I can only imagine what Rainbow Dash would say if she was here!"

"I would say you're being totally lame, egghead,"

Twilight looked up, only to see Rainbow Dash right above her.

"Rainbow Dash! How did you get here?"

"I was flying over the city and I was completing my 500th lap. I was gonna take a break before starting my 501st. Also, why did it take you this long to get here?"

"Well, Rainbow Dash, some ponies walk at a normal pace and their special talent isn't flying fast. Plus, I had to go behind buildings so I didn't have everypony in the empire crowding around me."

"I still it's lame you're reading history books. We're on vacation!"

"It's fine. I've wasted enough time arguing with you about this. Besides, don't you have to practice for beating Lightning Dust? You can clear a sky of clouds in 10 seconds flat. I bet Lightning can clear it in 5,"

"Oh yeah? Well, watch this!"

Rainbow Dash zoomed through the sky and busted every cloud in the sky in 5 seconds.

"Told you I could clear the sky in 5 seconds flat!"

She looked at Twilight and saw how poofy her mane was as well as the annoyed look on her face.

"Oh your... your mane, I'll fix that right up!"

She pulled a cloud out of the sky and jumped on it.

"There! All better!"

"Okay, I've heard of Deja vu but this is just crazy!"

She giggled at the memory of when she first came to Ponyville.

"Anyway, gotta run, see you later egghead!"

Twilight looked up at her dripping wet mane.

"Seriously! You could have at least tried to dry it!"She groaned and summoned a hair dryer.

10 minutes later

Twilight was walking the vast halls of the Crystal Library when she heard a noise. She turned around and saw that a book had fallen off a shelf. As she picked up the book she looked at the title.

"Celestial Secrets? What does that even mean?" As she searched for the author's name, she noticed a lock on the book. She decided to ask the librarian about why it was locked and what it was about. "Excuse me, ma'am. What's with this book? I haven't heard of it and for some reason, it's locked. Do you know how to unlock it, or, at least tell me what it's about?"

The librarian looked at the cover.

"I don't believe I've seen it before either. I'll see what it's about and if you can unlock it,"

"Thank you, ma'am,"

Soon after, the librarian came back.

"Of all the books I've come across, this one is the strangest. It's nowhere in any of the library's records. But, I did ask a few ponies if they knew anything about it,"

"And?"

"Somepony does. She seemed a bit nervous when I asked her so, be careful. She's over there, by the old scrolls,"

"Thank you,"

"You're welcome,"

Twilight walked over to the had a grey goat and green hair and eyes. She tapped her on the shoulder. She rapidly turned around and hissed at her.

"What do you want?!"

Twilight repelled back her hoof. "Um, hi. The librarian told me you knew something about this book?"

The mare's expression changed. Her lips formed into a grin.

"Oh, is that all? Well then, I can only tell you if I'm sure you're the one."

"The one?"

"Only certain ponies are allowed to get this knowledge. But, that hasn't stopped some from finding out the truth. "

"The truth about what?"

"Themselves," she answered.

Just then, another mare ran over to them.

"Akari! What are you doing?! We have to go!"

"Azari you don't understand! It's her!"

"I understand completely! That's why we have to leave!"

"Azari! You're crazy! You know what she told us to do!"

Azari gasped."We have to go. Now."

Before the mares left Akari spoke up.

"Everything you know will change! Every lie you were told will be revealed! Celestia's kingdom will fall and a new order shall arise! "

"What are you saying? What lies?! Who is she?"Twilight asked but the mares had already left.

* * *

Twilight was left pondering Azari's words. What did she mean by lies? How and why will Celestia fall? Twilight's head was filled with questions. She looked at the book again and then at the lock. Suddenly the book was engulfed in purple and green swirls. It transformed into a black and red book with a key attached to it. Twilight felt a strange urge to go to a room in the back of the library as if her instincts were telling her so. When she was inside the room, her consciousness returned. She didn't know why she went inside, she just did. As she looked around the room she realized it looked similar to her castle library, meaning it looked like it was only for 1 or 2 ponies. She sat on a chair and looked at the book again. It was still locked. Her frustration growing, she put the tip of her horn inside the lock and blasted it open. Twilight opened the book and looked at the table of contents. It seemed to be a history book, a lengthy one at that. Twilight flipped to a random page. It was a prophecy. It said,  
 _In 104 years,_

 _Two descendants of evil_

 _Shall uncover a truth_

 _and finish what was started_

 _and claim what's rightfully theirs._

Twilight was confused. That sounded a lot like what that mare said. She flipped to the next page and saw that there was more writing.

 _Two mares,_

 _One shall lead as queen,_

 _and the other_

 _shall conquer great lands._

 _Two times of day,_

 _created from a shadow,_

 _Shall connect,_

 _and soon, shall set the sun._ Next to it was a drawing. When Twilight saw it, her eyes were wide with horror and shock. Depicted in the drawing, were her and Starlight. "No, this, this isn't true. I know my parents. I never had a sister. It's somepony else," Twilight covered her mouth to keep from screaming. It said that two times of day would take over. Perhaps it had to do with Sunset Shimmer. Twilight turned the page. More writing. This time, it was more like a journal entry.

 _They have come, to try and strip me of my kingdom, as if they can do that. Fools. I am all powerful. I shall not be destroyed by two pitiful alicorns. My empire will not fall. It is rightfully mine and they dare challenge me for it? They are the ones who shall fall._

Twilight concluded that it was something Sombra wrote before he was defeated for the first time. On the next page, there was a second entry.

 _We have defeated Sombra but I fear the curse he placed on the Empire will have catastrophic results. It said that he would have two descendants who would carry on his legacy. I looked into the future and I know who they are. When they are born, I will watch over one and make sure they don't know. With their magical abilities, they will become powerful unicorns and hopefully use their power for good._ Twilight felt angry. It really was her. Why didn't anypony tell her? At least her parents could have told her she had a sister. Her horn lit up. Purple and green swirls flew from it. She walked through the library inside there was a passage decorated with tapestries. She walked in.

 _They say she has a heart of crystal,_  
 _That she has never done any wrong,_  
 _That she's the one behind the greatness of our land._  
 _Tales are told of her victories and how she vanquished foes._  
 _But not once have the mentioned, all her wrongs and all her lies!_  
 _Never once have they mentioned, the true hero of them all!_  
 _For they say she has a heart of crystal,_  
 _But crystals are simply stones!_ With every word, her voice grew louder. Metal armor formed on her hooves.  
 _Everypony says she is loyal, kind, and just._  
 _But tell me what is just,_  
 _About trying to destroy somepony who you've never even met!_  
 _About lying to somepony,_  
 _About her family, past, and destiny!_  
 _She claims to be a keeper of peace,_  
 _But peace according to who may I ask._  
 _Herself?_  
 _Down with Celestia,_  
 _Down with her unrightful reign!_  
 _She says she'll rule forever,_  
 _But times change._  
 _A new rule must arise!_  
 _Down with Celestia!_  
Her hair turned a deep black. She walked up to a tapestry showing the princess of the sun herself. Her horn aglow, she set a spark to the bottom of the tapestry.  
 _bring peace and more,_  
 _forevermore,_  
 _if down with Celestia!_  
 _she says she is brave!_  
 _she is not,_  
 _for she is not well behaved!_  
 _down with Celestia,_  
 _the lies told to us!_  
 _harmony will be,_  
 _only without Celestia!_ She closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were red and green, with purple smoke flying off of them, gazing as the tapestry burned.


	3. Chapter 3

Starlight walked through the streets of the Crystal Empire. It seemed like everything was alright. Something seemed wrong though. Starlight tried to ignore it. She trotted towards Sunburst's house. Although nopony knew it, she had a crush on him. Ever since he left for magic school, she had only thought of him. She stepped in front of his house. She took a deep breath. She had a feeling something terrible was about to happen. Something really, really terrible. She couldn't just brush it off. It wasn't even something she was consciously aware of. She didn't know what was wrong or why she just knew. She turned away from the door. Sunburst could wait. She needed to know. Starlight stopped. It was probably nothing. She knocked on her friend's door. She waited a minute. Sunburst wasn't exactly an organized pony and he was probably stepping over piles of books and scrolls trying to get to his door. When the door finally opened, a wild-maned Sunburst came out. Starlight smiled. "Hey Sunburst," she couldn't think of anything else to say. "What happened to you?"

"Let's just say there was an incident."

"So, what's new?"

"I have a girlfriend now. Her name's Moondancer. She's from Canterlot."

"Oh, anything else?"

"Not really. What about you?"

"Me? Well, um, nothing really. Listen, I gotta go somewhere. Bye." She turned away from his door and walked away sadly. She still had that uneasy feeling. She figured it was just her sadness. That sadness, however, was soon replaced by anger. Turned around to face the open door.

"Starlight, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay! How could you be so oblivious!"

"Starlight I don't know what you're talking about."

"I loved you! How could you not notice?!"

"You never told me!"

"How did you not see the signs? I followed you around everywhere when we were kids, and literally started a cult because you left me!"

"Look I'm sorry! I just thought we would be friends! I never had any romantic feelings for you!"

"Well sometimes, if somepony likes you, you should try to like them back!"

"I wasn't just gonna wait until you tell me you like me to get a marefriend!"

"Why did you never ask me!" There were tears in Starlight's eyes now.

"Because I didn't like you in that way!"

"You could have at least asked me so that I could tell you!"

"Well sorry for not knowing!"

"You know what? I don't think I could ever be friends with somepony that oblivious and selfish!"

"Oh, I'm selfish? You literally wanted me to never have a marefriend until you confessed your love to me!"

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore! I don't even care about you anymore! Go run off with your marefriend somewhere! See if I care!"

"Maybe I will then!" Starlight turned around. She looked back one more time.

"You know, I don't see why ever liked you in the first place." She walked away. She wandered into a dark alley nearby. Her eyes glowed a menacing red with green sclera, as well as purple mist emitting from them.

Meanwhile, Twilight was still in the library. She stomped her hoof on the ashes on the tapestry. Celestia would fall someday. And Twilight would make sure that was soon. Her appearance turned normal but hatred still burned in her soul. She stormed out the door, the book tucked under her wing. It became locked again. She went back into the hidden room. Somehow, nopony noticed it. Her horn ignited, she green and purple orbs went into the lock. The book opened, but only with dark magic. She went back out. She stepped into a dark alleyway. She found Starlight there. "Starlight? What are you doing here?"

"Let's just say I had a bad day."

"Want to talk about it?" Twilight said. She couldn't take her anger out on her. Not now.

"Sunburst got a girlfriend." Twilight didn't even have to ask why this made Starlight upset. "I also had an uneasy feeling before and after I talked to him." Twilight realized something. Those feelings were from her uses of dark magic as well as feelings of darkness in Starlight. She decided not to bring up her discovery. Not yet. "Why are you here?"

"I was just walking around the city. I gotta do something before we leave. Why don't you go do some sightseeing?"

"I guess it'll take my mind off of today."

"I think you need that." Twilight did her best to smile. As soon as Starlight walked away, however, Twilight felt rage burning in her soul. She walked up to a store and got a quill and some parchment. She wrote a note on it. It read:

Dear Shining Armor,

I can't believe you would do this to me. I found out the truth about myself and all I can feel is anger. You lied to me for my entire life and didn't even care! I don't think I will ever forgive you for this. Don't expect a visit anytime soon. Or ever for that matter. I'm going to be with Starlight the rest of the day. As far as I'm concerned, she's the only family I have left.

Your former sister,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight put it in an envelope, took it to the Crystal Castle, then told a guard to give it to Shining Armor. She looked at the castle with a look of pure hatred. It would have looked better with black crystals and sharper edges. She had an idea. She would use it soon. But not yet. First, she had to tell her.

Shining Armor read the note for the third time in a row. His sister found out about her destiny and hated him. He couldn't talk to her. Not while she was this angry. He would destroy Sombra once and for all if he even tried to do anything to Twilight. Right now, he needed somepony else to talk to her. Somepony she trusted.


	4. Chapter 4

The train ride back home was about as strange as the one before. Pinkie had passed out after she ate two hundred donuts and had to be carried back by Applejack, who had spent her entire day going on a walk. For some reason, Fluttershy couldn't stop smiling, and Rainbow Dash had a look of pride and triumph on her face, whereas Rarity looked a bit annoyed. Starlight looked a little sad, for reasons only she and Twilight knew. As for Twilight? The previously excited and giddy mare was sitting down quietly, not even making an attempt to talk to anypony. Rarity, after her annoyance towards whatever had just happened, died down, tried to talk to Twilight. "Twilight, you haven't been talking to us at all. Is there something on your mind?" Twilight only then noticed how quiet she had been.

"Oh, sorry girls. Nothing's wrong. I was just tired." Twilight forced a smile, though nopony could tell it was fake. She was the only one of them who could lie so well, to the point where she could even fool the Element of Honesty. The others soon joined in the conversation, except for Starlight and Pinkie, who hadn't yet woken up from her donut coma. Fluttershy still had a look of absolute bliss on her face.

"Well aren't you grininn' like a dog eatin' hornets? What's gotten into ya?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy blushed.

"Oh, um, nothing."

"It ain't nothing if it's makin' ya' blush like that."

Well, I was talking to Discord today," she said slowly.

"And?" Rarity said eagerly.

"He asked me out!" Fluttershy squealed. Pinkie, who had recently awakened from her donut coma, grabbed a glass of water, chugged it, and spit it out, much to the annoyance of Applejack, who was right next to her.

"Wow, Fluttershy, that's, that's really great," Starlight said. She was happy her friends had found love but sad that she had lost any hope of finding hers. For a while, there was an awkward silence until Fluttershy spoke up.

"So, how'd your race with Lightning Dust go?" she asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, I beat her by a few seconds. It was so epic! But then we talked for a little bit, got some ice cream, and made up. Turns out, she was just jealous of the fact that everypony liked me more than her. We're totally cool now."

"I wish I could say the same for me and Suri. She didn't even bother to show up! I really shouldn't be surprised. As mean, at heart, she was nothing more than a coward who couldn't do things herself."

"Well, what else would ya expect from a city girl like her?" Applejack said. "Ah've only met one nice pony from there! Sure, Canterlot ponies can be snobs, Crystal Ponies can be oblivious, and Cloudsdale pegasi can be pretty egotistical sometimes, but Manehattan ponies? Most of them are just plain rude!" After her rant, she got several looks from Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. "No offense," she added quickly.

"None taken. But isn't it just a little racist that one of the cities you described is all pegasi?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"How?"

"Well, it's just that you're saying only pegasi have big egos, not unicorns or earth ponies."

"Now hold on there just a second. Ah never said that. All I said was that Cloudsdale ponies could be egotistical sometimes! Ah didn't say pegasi were!" After several more minutes of banter, the train finally stopped. As each of the girls went home, Starlight ran ahead of Twilight, who was walking rather slowly.

"Hey, Twilight, you okay?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, just a little tired," she lied.

"If you say so." Starlight walked ahead, while Twilight trudged through Ponyville. She wanted to be able to read the book, without anypony nearby. She came up with an idea, but she would need to get home first. Feeling a little down about her recent discovery, she decided to fly home. As she soared in the sky, Twilight couldn't help but smile at the feeling of the warm sun against her face, the wind in her mane, her feathers brushing against each other. It was amazing. As she descended towards her front door, she heard a voice. _Embrace the darkness,_ it said. Twilight would have plummeted to the ground had she not regained control in time. She figured she was hearing things and was probably just stressed. Probably.

Spike read the note Twilight had left for him on the kitchen table. It read,

 _Dear Spike,_

 _I'll be gone for the next few hours. I have some things to take care of. Sorry about having to leave on such short notice, continue with your day as normal._

 _-Twilight_

"Wonder what that's all about?" Spike wondered. It wasn't like Twilight to leave with such little explanation. Spike shrugged. At least he got a break.

Twilight followed the path into the Everfree forest. She had mapped out most of the forest in case of emergency. She walked into a small clearing near the center of the woods so that nopony would see what she was about to do. She sighed as she pulled the book out of her saddlebag. She sat down with it, flipping it open. She had already read two of the most important pages, she couldn't forget what those said, but the book was pretty thick, there was bound to be something else. Twilight went to a random page. Her eyes widened as she saw what it was. It was an analysis of the Alicorn Amulet. It showed how it worked, and how it was created. But most importantly, it showed what the amulet was really for.

 _The Alicorn Amulet was made for one specific wielder, who could use it to its fullest extent and give the same power to others. It would have the same effects as with any other user, only more powerful and the user would have more control. This pony will be the only one whose use of the amulet would not result in insanity if used for too long. It is noted that if anypony used the amulet incorrectly, they would be unable to control the magic contained in it and would no doubt be destroyed. It is recommended that the amulet's wielder use the Alicorn Amulet's power gradually, and only for advanced magic. Other uses would increase the risk and would be ill-advised._

Twilight looked at a diagram of the amulet. It seemed quite simple, a gem with dark magic capabilities encased in a necklace. But then she looked at the small eye on the amulet. That part of the amulet was constructed entirely from alicorn magic. Specifically, dark alicorn magic. It would take years of practice and skill to entirely eradicate the risks of insanity and death. Then again, years of practice would have the same chances of that happening. Twilight looked at the spell used to create the eye. It seemed simple enough, just create a small gem. The only problem was that it required dark magic. Creating crystals was a very tricky spell, and using dark magic would make it downright dangerous. She sighed, she'd have to try that spell later. First, she should try practicing basic dark magic. She flipped the page. It was titled, "Dark Magic Spells for Beginners." Perfect, just what she was looking for. Twilight read the first spell. It was the spell that was used as the base for all dark magic. The book's instructions said that in order for a pony to use dark magic, they had to draw upon negative or dark emotions. She already had plenty of those running through her at the moment. She closed her eyes and sparked her horn. But instead of just using any emotion like she usually would, she drew upon her anger, no, hatred for her brother. She concentrated hard on those emotions and when he opened her eyes, her pupils and irises were red, and the whites of her eyes were now a blazing neon green. Purple swirls were forming on Twilight's horn. After a few more seconds, she released the spell, which then blew a large hole into a tree. The mare yelped in surprise as the tree fell down, nearly crushing her. She suddenly froze as she heard something. _Embrace the darkness._ The voice was back. "Maybe I should practice a bit more," she said wearily.

Several hours had passed since Twilight opened the book and it was now sunset. In that time, she had learned how to sprout crystals from the ground using dark magic, two offensive spells, and even basic mind control. Feeling ready to try creating a crystal with magical capabilities, she looked at two spells for the task. One required more power but was much simpler and less risky than the other one. She closed the book, then went over to a tree stump she had been using as a table. She closed her eyes once more and created a black crystal about half the size of a sugar cube. She exhaled. The spell wasn't that tiring, and she had mastered it completely in the time she had known it. Now for the hard part. She shut her eyes tightly and concentrated once more on the day's events. She shot a controlled, but powerful blast at the crystal, sweat trickling down her face. The crystal slowly changed from a dull black to blood red, being corrupted even further. Twilight stopped the spell and opened her eyes, which had become red and green again. Surprisingly, the spell didn't wear her out at all. In fact, she felt more alive than ever. She stood there, not making a sound, her eyes slowly returning to their normal state. The mare gasped as she jumped back, somewhat horrified by what she had just done. "I need to take a break." Before leaving the clearing, she created a barrier around it. Only she could come in and out of it, and nopony else could see it. At least one of her problems was solved.

Meanwhile, just on the edge of Ponyville,

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Starlight asked her friend.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie will make sure nothing goes wrong!" Trixie replied. Starlight wasn't so sure.

"I'm beginning to have second thoughts about being in a cage with a manticore. Maybe you could try doing another trick inste-" Trixie cut her off.

"Showtime!" she shouted, pulling her assistant on stage with her. "Fillies and Gentlecolts! Tonight you will see me transform my assistant, into a manticore!" The audience gasped. As Starlight finished checking the mechanics of the trick, a worried expression crossed her face. She whispered something into Trixie's ear. Trixie looked scared. The crowd was beginning to whisper. Everypony was quiet. Suddenly, a loud roar was heard. The audience screamed. Trixie ran away, along with the crowd, not even looking for her friend. Starlight was shocked as she was left behind with the manticore. Frozen in fear, the beast swiped at her with its paw. Her face began to bleed. She tried to blast the creature back, but she wasn't strong enough. It scratched her again.

"Trixie help me!" Starlight screamed. Trixie looked back but continued running away. Knowing her friend wouldn't come back for her, she scrambled onto all four hooves and ran for dear life. Fluttershy, who just happened to be walking by, rushed over to help. The Pegasus stared into the eyes of the manticore, which calmed down and fled back into the woods. Starlight had fallen onto the ground, about to pass out.

"I'll go get Twilight, don't move," Fluttershy whispered. She ran into town, looking for her friend. As she trotted near the forest, Twilight crossed her path. "Oh Twilight, then goodness you're here! Follow me, quick!" The already exhausted Twilight didn't have time to ask questions as she followed Fluttershy.

"What happened now?"

"What happened?!" Twilight said, looking at her sister's body on the grass.

"She was attacked by a manticore. From the looks of it, something went wrong during one of Trixie's shows." _I am going to kill that mare next time I see her,_ Twilight thought.

"We need to get her home," she said before teleporting them to Starlight's room. Fluttershy nodded. As soon as the unconscious mare was safely on her bed, Fluttershy checked for any fatal injuries.

"She'll be fine in a few hours," she stated. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. As her friend left the room, she whispered into her sister's ear.

"Please be okay, please."

Trixie rushed to her friend's door, praying that she was okay. She burst through the doors, making a beeline for Starlight's room. As luck would have it, she was already up and heading for the front door. Trixie ran up to her. "Starlight!"

"Why are you here?" Starlight responded harshly.

"I wanted to apologize for last night's accident. You'll forgive me, right?" she said hopefully. Starlight was silent for a few seconds, giving her friend hope that their friendship would remain intact.

"You really think that I would forgive you? You almost got me killed! I told you it was dangerous, but you just didn't listen! And after, when I almost died, you ran away like the coward you are! I never want to see you again!" Trixie was shocked.

"Starlight I-"

"I am tired of you never listening to me! Just leave me alone!"

"Starlight please!" Then Starlight did something nopony expected. She slapped Trixie. "You know what, maybe I should leave," she said, turning around. As soon as she left, Starlight's eyes flashed red and green, with a purple mist coming out of them. She should have felt bad, but she didn't. She only felt anger, no, _hatred_ , towards her former friend. Unbeknownst to them, Twilight had been watching the entire scene.

"Why did this have to happen to us?"


End file.
